low

A2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈloʊ/ UK /ˈləʊ/ See IPA manual

Homophones

lo /loʊ/

Minimal pairs

Sounds like la /ɑ/ vs /oʊ/ Sounds like roe /l/ vs /r/

Freq #1214

Meanings

1

adj
Smaller than usual in amount, level, or degree.

They sell good furniture at surprisingly low prices.
2

adj
Close to the ground; not high.

We sat on a low wall and waited for the bus.
3

adj
Quiet or soft in sound; deep in pitch.

He spoke in a low voice so no one else could hear.
4

noun
The lowest level or point that something reaches.

The stock market fell to a new low this week.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

3 adj · quiet or soft in sound;... low-toned

More abjectscummyscurvy

Word family

Forms lowedlowestlowinglownesslows

Derived forms alowdown-lowhigh-lowhighlowinfralowlilly-lowlow-alcohollow-altitudelow-backgroundlow-beamlow-belllow-boiling

Related forms below

Appears in

Phrases (5)

See all

lower court
a court of law at a less senior level, below an appeals court

Adjective + noun
low quality
a standard that is poor compared with what is expected

Adjective + noun
abnormally low
below the range that would normally be expected

Adverb + adjective
lower jaw
the movable jaw below the upper teeth

Adjective + noun
lower bound
a number no greater than any member of a specified set

Adjective + noun

Idioms (2)

See all

Proverbs (1)

See all

Buy low, sell high

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *légʰyeti Proto-Germanic *ligjaną Proto-Germanic *lēgaz Old Norse lágrbor. Middle English lāh English low From Middle English lowe, lohe, lāh, from Old Norse lágr (“low”), from Proto-Germanic *lēgaz (“lying, flat, situated near the ground, low”), from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- (“to lie”). Cognate with Scots laich (“low”), Saterland Frisian läich (“low”), West Frisian leech (“low”), Dutch laag (“low”), obsolete German läg (“low”), German Low German leeg, leeg' (“low”), Danish lav (“low”), Faroese, Icelandi…

*legʰ- Proto-Indo-European lowe Middle English lágr Old Norse *lēgaz Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# low

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** adj, noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈloʊ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈləʊ/
**Frequency rank:** 1214

## Meanings
1. Smaller than usual in amount, level, or degree.
2. Close to the ground; not high.
3. Quiet or soft in sound; deep in pitch.
4. The lowest level or point that something reaches.

## Examples
- They sell good furniture at surprisingly low prices.
- We sat on a low wall and waited for the bus.
- He spoke in a low voice so no one else could hear.
- The stock market fell to a new low this week.

## Synonyms
- abject
- scummy
- scurvy

## Derived Forms
- alow
- down-low
- high-low
- highlow
- infralow
- lilly-low
- low-alcohol
- low-altitude
- low-background
- low-beam
- low-bell
- low-boiling

## Related Forms
- below

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *legʰ-
- Root: lowe
- Root: lágr
- Root: *lēgaz

## Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *légʰyeti Proto-Germanic *ligjaną Proto-Germanic *lēgaz Old Norse lágrbor. Middle English lāh English low From Middle English lowe, lohe, lāh, from Old Norse lágr (“low”), from Proto-Germanic *lēgaz (“lying, flat, situated near the ground, low”), from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- (“to lie”). Cognate with Scots laich (“low”), Saterland Frisian läich (“low”), West Frisian leech (“low”), Dutch laag (“low”), obsolete German läg (“low”), German Low German leeg, leeg' (“low”), Danish lav (“low”), Faroese, Icelandi…

## AI Etymology
Low comes from Middle English lowe, lohe, lāh, from Old Norse lágr (“low”), from Proto-Germanic *lēgaz (“lying, flat, situated near the ground, low”), from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- (“to lie”). In present-day English its meanings include smaller than usual in amount, level, or degree, close to the ground; not high, and quiet or soft in sound; deep in pitch. The historical chain runs through *legʰ- (Proto-Indo-European), lowe (Middle English), lágr (Old Norse), and *lēgaz (Proto-Germanic). Related and derived forms include below, alow, down-low, and high-low.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

markdown

low

Meanings

Thesaurus

Appears in

Phrases (5)

Idioms (2)

Proverbs (1)

Etymology

Topics

External links

Keyboard Shortcuts

General

Send feedback